Life With Sheahttps://lifewithshea.com
Living and Loving LifeTue, 12 Dec 2017 17:41:51 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.3https://i0.wp.com/lifewithshea.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-IMG_6075.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Life With Sheahttps://lifewithshea.com
3232137280893Mazda RX7 13B Rotary Engine Rebuildhttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/12/12/mazda-rx7-13b-rotary-engine-rebuild/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/12/12/mazda-rx7-13b-rotary-engine-rebuild/#respondTue, 12 Dec 2017 17:39:16 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=981Continue reading "Mazda RX7 13B Rotary Engine Rebuild"]]>For those of you who do not know what a rotary engine is, picture an engine that runs off of triangular objects that some refer to as Doritos. Then think about the fact that there are multiple cars and some unmanned air vehicles that use that engine to run. The engine you are picturing is called the Wankel rotary engine. “The rotary engines occupy a niche segment of research that has only seen mass production in automotive application developed by the Mazda Company with Wankel-type Renesis engines.” (Alexandru-Catalin et al 93). The Wankel rotary engine is an “internal combustion engine with rotors instead of pistons, invented in the 1950s by German engineer Felix Wankel” (Philip’s). The unique design of the Wankel rotary engine has multiple advantages as well as disadvantages. I will explain some more about the engine itself and then talk about how much fun I had taking my engine bay apart, having the engine rebuilt, and now having an RX7 that runs right.

I get to show off my love for this car and be festive with my new sweater from Tool and Dye Designs Cody has one too with a Nissan 240sx! They are our favorite sweaters. Super soft on the inside while being nice and warm. What more can you ask for? We wore them to our work sweater party. We wear them to the gym. We plan to wear them To the Ugly Sweater Party we our hosting next weekend. And honestly, we will probably wear them all winter before they’re cute, comfy, and warm

“The idea for a rotary engine – which achieves … intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust, while rotating – came to Wankel when he was a teenager. He dreamed he had driven to a concert in a car he had designed that was powered by a new type of powerplant that was half-turbine, half-reciprocating engine. It was the beginning of his career in combustion engine design.” (Scoltock 7). The Wankel rotary engine is a very simplistic design. The outer oval that surrounds the internals of the engine is called a housing. The Doritos mentioned earlier are actually triangle objects called rotors. These rotors spin on bearings that rotate on something called the eccentric shaft. As the rotors spin inside the housings, it passes by an intake port and pulls air into the housing. That air fuel mixture is then compressed to ignite the spark plugs. Lastly, the air escapes through a different port called the exhaust. “The first series application of the engine was in the NSU Spider in 1964” (Scoltock 7). Some individuals believe that in the future Wankel’s “work could help to bring more electric vehicles to the roads” (Scoltock 7). “Audi’s Al e-tron concept vehicle uses a 75kW electric motor and a 12kWh lithium-ion battery linked to a 245cc rotary engine located under the trunkfloor.” (Scoltock 7).

This unique design does bring some advantages to the table. “Felix Wankel was convinced that rotary combustion engines offered smoother operation, improved packaging and in some cases a better power-to-weight ratio than more established technologies.” (Scoltock 7). Because of the simplistic design, they do not have as many parts as conventional engines. This engine having a smaller amount of parts makes it less expensive to manufacture. The engine being so lightweight makes it easier to work on and work with as well. To put this in perspective, a rotary specialist located in Indiana by the name of Chris Sanders has seen a Wankel rotary 13B engine dropped off in the front seat of a Honda Delsol. Another great thing about the Wankel rotary engine is there is less reciprocating mass and less moving parts that allow it to hold higher rpms. This gives it the ability to have more air flow which leads to more horsepower.

Even though the advantages are fantastic, there are some disadvantages as well. Some would say a disadvantage is the gas mileage. This being a disadvantage depends on the individual and what they are using it for. Unfortunately, the Wankel engine’s biggest “downfall, according to Robertson, was that the engine was insufficiently sealed to prevent fluids from leaking and to control emissions.” (Leopold 1). The seals are not always reliable and this is often what causes the engine to be rebuilt so early. More often than not Wankel rotary engines need rebuilt more frequently than piston engines. One hundred thousand miles between rebuilds is considered a long time.

Although these engines are not as popular as piston engines, it has been successful enough to become a niche market. Some of the advantages of the Wankel rotary engine are that it has the simplistic design that contains few parts, a lightweight design, smoother operation, improved packaging, in some cases a better power-to-weight ratio, and the fact that it can hold higher rpms which leads to more horsepower. The disadvantages, unfortunately, are low miles per gallon, unreliable seals, and frequent rebuilds. When it is all said and done, the Wankel rotary engine has both advantages and disadvantages and is preferred by some while not so much by others. Ultimately, this simplistic and interesting design of the Wankel rotary engine is definitely unique.

This was mine and my boyfriend’s first big thing we decided to tackle together. We had only been together a few months and took on a very stressful project together. It went amazing! I wish I still had the before and after pictures of the building we had to clean out to be able to even start. This was a two day super dirty task in itself.

Before the engine came out:

After the engine came out:

Banzai Racing was absolutely amazing with the rebuild! They have website which they post pictures on for you every step of the way. I cannot day enough good things about the owners, company, and customer service

I have missed this! Sitting down to talk about things I love That’s what I love most about blogging! So what has kept me off of one of my favorite things to do the last 4 weeks? Some unexpected situations with family, some unexpected sickness, having military weekends 3 out of 4 weekends, and on top of that…finals

Here is a quick recap with pictures of course And some upcoming blog posts to watch out for this month!

So as I said in my post Family Rock, my Mamaw (Great Grandma) has been home on hospice for some months now. However, this past month has been the hardest because she’s gotten a lot weaker. It’s hard to see such a strong woman be so weak She is doing better this week though

Another thing we found out this last month is that my older nephew that you met in my blog post Pumpkin Babies is autistic. We are hoping therapy helps him with his communication and different things like that. Once we found out, it definitely made a lot of things make more sense that he does. We are just figuring out how to adjust things to help him now

The last big family thing, I am only going to talk about briefly. Most that know me know about the wreck my brother and sister in law were in back in June. A young man fell asleep at the wheel. My sister in law didn’t make it and my brother was badly injured but thankfully still with us and there for their son (my younger nephew that you meet in my blog post Pumpkin Babies) who turns 1 in less than a week. The sentencing was an emotional day to say the least

These are only 3 things that have happened this last month family wise, but I think you all get the point. Life threw some hard balls our way this month and we are still figuring out how we go how to handle them…

We went to many Thanksgivings including Cody’s Dad’s after work one weekend, my family’s side Wednesday evening, hosted Thanksgiving day for Cody’s Mom’s side Thursday, and then hosted FriendsGiving for our group of friends Sunday after Thanksgiving.

From Wednesday’s Thanksgiving with my family

I cooked my first turkey that Thursday and didn’t burn it Yay!!! We had a great time at all of them through Thursday and then came Friday…Cody got really sick for about 24-48 hours. So between caring for him and him being sick we got the house together for FriendsGiving…which of course is when I got sick. Like so sick that I would wake myself up at night from being in so much pain and needing to get sick. It didn’t start out so bad. I was sick but I was able to handle it bundled up on the couch with my two loving cats

Then it got so bad that I couldn’t even go upstairs for the turkey cutting But my sister took pictures and sent them to me

Despite being sick, FriendsGiving turned out AMAZING for everyone else Plus it made me realize how great my friends were that they didn’t mind me passing out on the couch downstairs and they even made sure to check on me, do the dishes before they left so I wouldn’t have to, and just were so sweet. Which is good because I continued to be sick for about 3 more days and doing those dishes were not on my agenda those three days We made an event on Facebook and everyone just commented on a post of what they were bringing and besides a slight delay with the deep fried turkey, everything went super smoothly!

Finals kicked my but finishing with an A and a B were worth my time I go full time online and they are 8 week classes. Just finished my Associates with these classes and a year away from my Bachelors

Military weekends definitely are tiring because it makes for no days off but they are worth it This weekend was definitely fun though because we had our Christmas party and two of my nephews came!

Shout out to Tool and Dye Designs for the perfect Christmas sweaters for this party! Mine has a Mazda RX7 on it and Cody’s has a Nissan 240sx on it More to come on the awesome sweaters, our upcoming Ugly Sweater Party, super comfy shirts from this shop, our RX7 13B engine rebuild, the Nissan 240sx getting a new turbo, and some super nice new shelves I want to share with you!!

For now though, back to the party Dregan loved coloring and running around at the front of the plane

Baby James loved the big plastic bumper balls and the bouncy house

I got in with him first to see how he did but he did great on his own too!!

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*Blog post sponsored by Tool and Dye Designs by sending the amazing sweaters for me to give an honest review which is coming in more detail soon *

]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/12/03/4-crazy-weeks/feed/0951Popping the Questionhttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/07/popping-the-question/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/07/popping-the-question/#commentsTue, 07 Nov 2017 21:40:57 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=889Continue reading "Popping the Question"]]>Whether you are reading this for the cute proposal pictures and videos or because you are thinking of proposing, I hope you enjoy!

The main thing to keep in mind if you are planning to pop the question is it needs to be special. This doesn’t mean it has to be extravagant, just something that is meaningful to you both.

Here is a Unique Ring Box It doesn’t only have to be used to propose, it could be used to gift a ring to your current wife, your mother, your daughter, or any other special person in your life!

Having a hard time coming up with ideas? Here are a few things you can keep in mind while planning.

Where was your first date? Is there a special place or event where you can get down on one knee at? This guy brought her back to the place they fell in love

A woman usually loves when you put thought into something. Whether it is a nice written letter, making sure to show how much you planned, or spelling “Will You Marry Me” out in the sky, she will likely love to see that you cared enough to put thought into making it special

Is home a special place for you? I know it is for most. So why not make it even more special by being where she says yes? This guy proposed as they were moving into their new home, but you could do something special any day or night!

Want to keep it private but want family and friends to see it? There are so many options to stream nowadays that you could have your cake and eat it too! Going live in a private group could keep it to a small group of people seeing live or if you’re feeling confident and you both love sharing special moments with all your social media friends, you could go live where all your friends and family can see

If your lady loves her job and the people she works with, why not surprise her in her everyday life with the big question? Obviously customize this to her current job, but this guy included his lady’s entire kindergarten class

Did you meet at work and work together? If you could make a special proposal with this, why not? Bring her back to where it began. Ellen Degeneres even got in on the fun!

If you both are really close to family, why not include them? Maybe even have a party to celebrate!

Do you two have a hobby that you both enjoy together? This could be hiking, sports, music, cars, etc. Whatever makes you two happy doing together would be a great way to pop the question

You have a love story and this is the next chapter to that story! Make it special No matter what you do, make sure there is a camera there to capture the moment because it is one she is going to want to share with the world when she says YES

Want something that will make her moment seeing the ring special? You took so long picking out the perfect ring; it needs to be showcased

I think this ring box is unique, modern, and classic all at once. How can you go wrong? Even after the engagement, you can set it out as a constant reminder of the happy moment The little details like this will make her realize you put thought and effort behind planning the day you ask her to be your wife

Not only do I love the look of this box; I also love the quality! The wood and hinges are very well made Melissa and Jiun Chiang were absolutely amazing to communicate with and have multiple things in their Etsy Shop Wanderweg

They are also offering a 10% off coupon to everyone who shares this blog post! More information on my Facebook Page HERE

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*Blog post sponsored by Wanderweg by sending the product for me to give an honest review *

]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/07/popping-the-question/feed/88895 Things I Am Thankful Forhttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/05/5-things-i-am-thankful-for/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/05/5-things-i-am-thankful-for/#commentsSun, 05 Nov 2017 18:09:10 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=822Continue reading "5 Things I Am Thankful For"]]>With Halloween over and November upon us, Thanksgiving is on the mind. I am super excited for Christmas as well, but want to slow down and focus on how thankful I am for the life I live. So here are 5 things I am thankful for. I could go on and on, but I wanted to focus on these.

1)Life Itself

I woke up this morning! And if you are reading this I think it is safe to assume you did too. I learned fairly early in life that tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us. So I am thankful for the fact that I am fortunate enough to be enjoying another day!

2)My Loved Ones

This includes my wonderful boyfriend, family, and friends. The fact that I get to go to sleep and wake up every morning I’m home with Cody by my side is something that makes me smile. Im thankful for my family and friends that understand my busy schedule but still love to spend time with me when I am able

Can’t forget my cats here! My two fur-babies (Truman & Burfict) are the most awesome cats we could ever ask for. I am so thankful that they are happy and healthy!

3)Health

There are many people out there that are finding out that they have life changing illnesses. Especially with crohn’s running in my family, I’m thankful that I am not currently battling to get my good health back.

4)Memories

I’m thankful that I can remember back to both the good and the not so good memories of my childhood, teenage years, and early twenties. Without remembering the bad, how can we appreciate the good? There are so many memories I can think back to and smile

5)Roof, Food, & Clothes

Like the saying goes, I am thankful for a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on my back. I am thankful for my job security that helps me have all of these things and more. I am thankful I had the opportunity to join the military which in return helps me go to college without going into debt.

In reality I could go on and on about things I am thankful for, but these are the five that immediately came to mind when I began writing. What are the 5 things that come to mind that you are thankful for?

See that gorgeous faux leather table placemat up top? HeartlandCustom sent me these beautiful placemats and I fell in love with them. They are a reminder to be thankful and grateful each time I see them. The quality is top notch and they are even more beautiful in person than in pictures.

These place-mats are a modern but classic way to bring the Thanksgiving spirit to your dining room table. I could not be happier with them!

Bill, the owner, is absolutely wonderful to communicate with and is even offering 10% off to all of you this week! Just go here and share the post about this blog and you will have a message with your coupon code! Already have Thanksgiving placemats but love the look? They also have Rustic Placemats and Custom Placemats that can be used any time of year! There are so many fun things you could do with the Custom Placemats. It would even make a great Christmas gift! For example, you could put a newlywed couple’s last name on these or a fun saying The options are honestly endless!

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*Blog post sponsored by HeartlandCustom by sending the product for me to give an honest review *

]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/05/5-things-i-am-thankful-for/feed/2822Pumpkin Babieshttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/03/pumpkin-babies/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/03/pumpkin-babies/#commentsFri, 03 Nov 2017 13:13:54 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=793Continue reading "Pumpkin Babies"]]>When James and Emma said that Courtney really wanted Baby James to take pictures in a Pumpkin for Halloween, I knew that this was something that we had to make sure to get done.

Thank you Courtney because your idea turned out amazing. I wish you could’ve been here to enjoy it, but I know you were watching

It also reminded me how much I really enjoy photography. I had actually debated selling my camera not long ago because I never use it anymore…yeah that’s not happening.

Amber and James get ready for a lot more planned photo shoots of my handsome nephews Brandon and Ty we should do some with my lil man Landon too this Christmas! I wish my other two nephews lived closer but just means I need to make a trip to Texas to see Ashley’s family soon! And of course I wish Maddie was here and grown up to be in the pictures

…

So the day was hectic. After getting off work I rushed home, got changed, grabbed my stuff, left, came back home because I forgot my camera (of all things), rushed to James’, cleaned out the huge pumpkin Amber picked up (this took forever!), drove to the park, set everything up, and then the pictures began!

Dregan was running around having a blast at the park so we started with Baby James. He started out standing up and didn’t fight us at all for being in a giant pumpkin

Then Dregan came and joined his little buddy who sat down in the pumpkin at this point and they kind of played together

Then I was able to get some of Baby James sitting down in the pumpkin and of Dregan standing in the same pumpkin!

Even though this was rushed, it was a blast! Thank you Courtney for the great idea. Thank you Aunt Maggie for the great idea of putting a trash bag inside the pumpkin to keep them from getting dirty. This was a fun joint adventure that captured some great pictures of Dregan’s second Halloween and Baby James’ first

Shout out to Amber for picking up the pumpkins so we would have time to get pictures before dark

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]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/03/pumpkin-babies/feed/4793A Bad Moms Christmas Movie Premierhttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/a-bad-moms-christmas-movie-premier/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/a-bad-moms-christmas-movie-premier/#commentsThu, 02 Nov 2017 15:06:05 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=782Continue reading "A Bad Moms Christmas Movie Premier"]]>A Bad Mom’s Christmas premiered last night and I went to see it with a good friend on mine! Since we didn’t take a picture last night when we went, here is one from the last movie premier we went to Rough Night (another good one!)

Was it worth rushing to after work and rushing to finish homework before midnight after?

ABSOLUTELY

If you need a break and a good laugh, grab a friend and head to the movies because this one will give you plenty! It is rated R so keep that in mind

Without giving anything away that is not already in the commercial the movie is basically about three moms having their own mothers visit for Christmas

From the very beginning it until the very end it was HILARIOUS! I highly recommend this movie…

And we interrupt this broadcast to bring you shocking and important news

Channing Tatum officially has some competition for the title in my life of Favorite Actor Justin Hartley from the famous new series This Is Us was in this movie and it made me like him even more! If Channing Tatum doesn’t do something soon he may fall to 2nd place

Anyways, I say all this to say the movie was great. Need a girls night? Need a laugh? If so, this is the movie to go see

If you enjoyed this blog post, please subscribe below or leave me a comment with your thoughts!

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Until next time, make sure to keep on living and loving life

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]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/a-bad-moms-christmas-movie-premier/feed/2782Korean Beef Steam Buns with Sweet Potato Tempura & Spicy Mayonnaisehttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/korean-beef-steam-buns-with-sweet-potato-tempura-spicy-mayonnaise/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/korean-beef-steam-buns-with-sweet-potato-tempura-spicy-mayonnaise/#respondThu, 02 Nov 2017 11:23:44 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=720Continue reading "Korean Beef Steam Buns with Sweet Potato Tempura & Spicy Mayonnaise"]]>Second week with BlueApron is officially a success! This was such a fun meal to make with my boyfriend because neither of us had made anything like it before. I honestly feel like I get a mini cooking class with each meal!

If you have not heard of BlueApron before, it is a meal kit delivery service which sends you two or more meals for two or more people. They include every ingredient besides olive oil, water, and salt and pepper and pepper (They are the only ingredients I have found so far that do not come with the meals). It breaks everything down step by step to make each meal as well. And like I said in my other BlueApron blogs, the app really does make it super easy to manage your meals and I do not feel like I am going to be charged for a box of meals that I do not want! I turned off my November 2nd delivery on the app to show you how easy it is in the picture below. To turn it back on I just click the red area. It is that simple! Also, you can choose to change your delivery date!

If you would like to hear about my very first experience with Blue Apron, here is my blog post on that:

**Full disclosure, I am not one who normally cooks! I don’t even know if you would consider me an amateur cook. My boyfriend definitely does about 95% of the cooking in our house. We had some free time before the gym this time though so he helped me cook!**

IF I CAN DO THIS, SO CAN YOU!

Okay, let’s get started. This picture is from the app itself and says time is 45-55 minutes. This would be pretty close if I did everything myself. Luckily my boyfriend is really good at chopping, so we finished this meal in about 25-30 minutes as a team. I think I would have been around 50 minutes if it was just me!

Ingredients:

10 oz Thinly Sliced Beef

6 Chinese Steam Buns

2 Scallions

1 Sweet Potato

3 Radishes

2 tsps Gochujang

2 Tbsps Black Bean Sauce

1/4 cup Tempura Mix

1 1-inch piece Ginger

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

Other Normal Ingredients:

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

(The last two ingredients did not come in the box)

These ingredients are for two servings. If you need more, adjust accordingly.

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients & Make the Spicy Mayonaise

-Heat a medium pot of water to boiling on high.

-Wash and dry the fresh produce.

-Cut the sweet potato into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

-Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice on and angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops.

-Peel and finely chop the ginger.

-Cut off and discard the ends of the radishes; thinly slice into rounds.

-In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise and up to half the gochujang, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper to taste.

*I am not a huge fan of spice, but I put the entire half of gochujang in it because it didn’t taste too spicy. When the entire thing was finished it did have a small kick to it but nothing too spicy.*

Step 2: Make the Sweet Potato Tempura

-To make the batter, in a large bowl, whisk together the tempura mix and 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

-In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high until hot.

-Once the oil is hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles immediately when added to the pan, working in batches if necessary, coat the sweet potato in the batter (letting any excess drip off). Carefully add to the pan in a single layer and cook 4-6 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and crispy. (If the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of oil between batches.)

-Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; immediately season with salt and pepper. Carefully discard any excess oil. Wipe out the pan.

Step 3: Steam the buns

-While the sweet potato cooks, rest a strainer (or colander) over the pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn’t reach the bottom of the strainer.

-Working in batches if necessary, place the buns in the strainer; cover with the lid of the pot. Steam 3-5 minutes, or until softened and puffy. Carefully transfer to a work surface.

-In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot.

-Add the seasoned beef in a single layer. Cook, without stirring, 1-2 minutes, or until browned.

-Add the white bottoms of the scallions, ginger, back bean sauce, and as much of the remaining gochujang as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1-2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the beef is just cooked through. Turn off the heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Again, I added the full half of gochujang and enjoyed the final product.*

Step 5: Plate Your Dish

-Gently open each steamed bun; spread with a thin layer of the spicy mayonnaise. Divide the cooked beef and radishes among the buns.

-Transfer 2/3 of the assembled buns and 2/3 of the sweet potato tempura to serving dishes (you will have extra buns and tempura). Garnish the buns with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!

*I did not have extra buns.*

We both really loved this meal so much that we checked for the buns at our local store when we went grocery shopping. We both said we could do without the radishes. However, we understood why it was there, for a crunchy texture. So maybe next time we will find something to substitute that achieves the same thing?

Blue Apron is a very fun way to learn to cook because every meal is different and there are step by step instructions.

IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU!

Anyways, all and all I am becoming even happier with Blue Apron and want to keep learning how to cook. Our next box is being delivered today and it includes a Chicken Tender recipe and a Chorizo Pork Burger recipe which I am SUPER excited about. I will of course post a blog afterwards!

Also, to stay posted on new blog posts make sure to “LIKE” my Facebook page HERE!

Until next time, make sure to keep on living and loving life

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]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/02/korean-beef-steam-buns-with-sweet-potato-tempura-spicy-mayonnaise/feed/0720Halloween Festivitieshttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/01/halloween-festivities/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/01/halloween-festivities/#respondWed, 01 Nov 2017 13:24:35 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=677Continue reading "Halloween Festivities"]]>Halloween. The start of the holiday season. This is such an exciting time of the year…a cold time of year…but an exciting time! How did you enjoy your Halloween weekend and Halloween last night? What were your costumes?!

For me, this weekend included two Halloween parties! The first was a family one where I got to see one of my best friend’s seven year old dressed up as a ninja robot warrior (I think that was what it was called lol). We played Pokémon, Twister, and raced around the house in our costumes.

Then came The Conkle’s 8th Annual Halloween Party. It was an absolute blast as always! My now amazing boyfriend was actually my driver as a friend to the 6th Annual and that is the night that I really started liking him as more than friends. So I this Annual party is kind of part of our love story

A little backstory to my costume the 6th Annual party is that I actually had my eye hurt bad at work months. It was so bad that I had to wear an eye patch for about a week. What better way to play off of all the one eyed jokes than to be a pirate for Halloween?

Now the 7th Annual we went as a group costume, The Scooby Doo Gang!

This brings us to the 8th Annual. Another group costume adventure. The Addams Family!

They always have a costume contest and this year we won Best Overall There were some really good ones including the Flintstones, TY Beanie Babies, Fire Fighters, Pilots, and Hillbillies. The TY Beanie Babies too Most Original and Funniest. Cousin It took the Scariest. And my costume won Sexiest

Getting ready for this years party was no easy task. I enlisted the help of my sister because we all know I can’t put on makeup other than the basics. She did this plus used black hair spray to dye my hair for the night and put extensions in…I don’t think I could’ve pulled it off without her.

My costume itself only cost me $29.95. I bought my dress off Amazon and wore black boots I already had. The dress was perfect and I could wear it again. The only complaint I would have about it is I had to use a hair tie to keep it from showing everything up top. 100% worth it though because the hair tie actually made the dress look better because it gave it a cinched look.

The hair spray dye I WOULD NOT recommend. Go with a wig option instead if at all possible. It’s a mess to do. Your hair feels horrible. It rubs off onto your skin and clothes. It takes washing it like five times for it to fully come out. I will never use that stuff again

Last night was really enjoyable It was mine and Cody’s first year getting to pass out candy to trick or treaters at our own home

It was also one of my nephew’s first time trick or treating This little guy was Chuckie for Halloween!

And lastly it was my other nephew’s first Halloween all together He was dressed up as a Biker Baby.

I can’t tell you how much joy I had watching them run around and play together! Baby James just started really walking and was chasing Dregan around Dregan was SO great with Baby James and even brought him toys back after Baby James would throw them

I would say there was a good 100 kids that came by so it was good thing we bought 10 bags of candy! Anyways I hope you all had a great Halloween

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]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/11/01/halloween-festivities/feed/0677Missed Memorieshttps://lifewithshea.com/2017/10/30/missed-memories/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/10/30/missed-memories/#commentsMon, 30 Oct 2017 12:59:47 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=658Continue reading "Missed Memories"]]>It is absolutely crazy that six years can seem like yesterday while also feeling like an eternity ago.

So many highs you weren’t here to celebrate and so many lows you weren’t here for me to lean on…

This past year your name carried on. James Ray Daley III is only ten months old and already walking and even telling us “I love you”.

Unfortunately we went through another hard loss this year of Courtney. James Jr. has your heart and loves with everything in him and it broke with everything in him this past June There have been a lot of struggles these months but I pulled out my letters you wrote me while I was in BMT and hearing your words always helps me through the tough times.

“Let me start by saying I love you and that I am so proud of you. I know that you will overcome any and all obstacles that you come across. I do miss you with all of my heart. I would love to have a hug from my Southern Belle. Now, make sure you stay focused mentally and physically. You are a Daley”.

Even though you’re not here today, you live on through the legacy you left

There are so many things I wish I wouldn’t have taken for granite. I was all so use to you always being there, just a phone call away. I never imagined the day that I wouldn’t be able to hug you anymore, call you anymore, or to tell you just how much I love you would have been so early on in life.

The simple hug that can say the world, is often times taken for granted. A hug that says I’m sorry. A hug that says everything is going to be okay. I hug that says I love you.

Instead of getting a hug yesterday, I only got a visual reminder from your headstone of what I emotionally am reminded of everyday for the last six years…my world is not the same without you and it never will be. We have learned to embrace the new normal and find joy in our new memories with those we love but we wish your were here to be apart of the new memories.

I will love and miss you forever and always Daddio

-Your Southern Belle

]]>https://lifewithshea.com/2017/10/30/missed-memories/feed/12658iPhone X vs. iPhone 8https://lifewithshea.com/2017/10/27/iphone-x-vs-iphone-8/
https://lifewithshea.com/2017/10/27/iphone-x-vs-iphone-8/#commentsFri, 27 Oct 2017 14:02:24 +0000https://lifewithshea.com/?p=622Continue reading "iPhone X vs. iPhone 8"]]>Now that I think I have decided to stick with the iPhone, there is now the debate on whether to get the iPhone X or iPhone 8…

Like I said in iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8, it’s that time again. That time where I backup my phone to my computer and go upgrade. In the past I went from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S. iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5. iPhone 5 to the iPhone 5S. iPhone 5S to the iPhone 6. iPhone 6 to the iPhone 6S+. And last year, I went from the iPhone 6S+ to the iPhone 7.

Now I have to choose which iPhone to get this time? Why make my life so hard Apple?

The cost is something to mention. The iPhone X is $300 more or just under $12 more a month if you have the Verizon payment plan. I am one of those people who loves a new phone each year so the payment plan (leasing a phone is how I see it) is perfect for me!

LET’S COMPARE

1⃣ Usage and Standby Time
The iPhone 8 has 14 hours Usage Time while the iPhone X has 21 hours. This is a HUGE selling point for me because I need long battery life. The iPhone 8 has only 10 days Standby Time compared to the iPhone X having 16 days.

The iPhone X definitely wins this one based on the Usage Time. The Standby Time they win as well but for me this is not as huge of a deal. For those of you who do not know 100% what Usage and Standby Time are, let me explain what I learned from Apple. Standby Time is the amount of time since the phone was turned on with a full charge. Usage Time is the amount of time spent actively using the phone such as making a phone call.

2⃣ Camera
Both phones have a 12 MP camera on the back and 7MP on the front. However, the iPhone X has the portrait features in both camera along with some other changes that will make the pictures you take better. Personally for me, this is not a huge enough difference to say I’d decide based on this, but iPhone X does win when it comes to features.

3⃣ Weight
The iPhone 8 is 5.22 oz while the iPhone X is 6.14 oz. I do not think this is enough to say I’d decide based on the difference, but if you want lighter the iPhone 8 wins here.

4⃣ Width & Height
The iPhone 8 is 2.65 in wide and 5.44 in tall.
The iPhone X is 2.79 in wide and 5.65 in tall.
These phones are really similar here. Again I say this difference would not make me decide one way or another. If you want something slightly bigger, the iPhone X wins. If you want something slightly smaller, the iPhone 8 wins.

5⃣ Screen
The iPhone 8 has a 4.7″ Retina HD IPS LCD screen. The iPhone X has 5.8″ all-screen OLED screen. The all-screen is really appealing! And yes I know android has had this for a while, but I am excited to see an iPhone have this. What I gather from geek.com is that the OLED is more crisp and colors are more vibrant on it.

6⃣ There are a few nice features on the iPhone X. The main talk of them is the facial recognition. I have to admit that I love the fingerprint feature on my 7 and think the facial recognition will be even better.

7⃣ Storage wise I am looking at the 64 GB on both so nothing to compare here. I have the 32 GB iPhone 7 and just now getting low on memory. And I take ALOT of pictures.

Overall the big differences I see are the Usage Time, Cameras, Facial Recognition, and All-Screen. Is it worth the difference in price is the question.

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